Pressed metal cylinder



Oct. 29, 1935. o. MITCHELL PRESSED METAL CYLINDER Filed Dec. 28, 1933 INVENTORI ORV/LL15 MITCHELL Q Q4 m I? TTORNE Y Patented Oct. 29, 1935 4 Claims.

The general object of this invention is to provide a novel construction and combination of parts in the manufacture of pressed steel cylinders for use, particularly, in cotton cleaning ma- 5 chines, with the aim in view of providing a strong, light-weight, balanced cylinder, which lends itself to modern production methods and can be manufactured at much lower cost than the diiferent types of cylinders heretofore used 10 in connection with cotton-cleaning machinery.

A cylinder constructed. in accordance with my invention comprises a plurality of pressed-metal disc members spotwelded to a central shaft, and longitudinal members detachably secured to pc- 15 ripheral flanges of the discs, said members at their meeting sides preferably having outwardlyextending flanges, whereby to form a closed outer drum with radial beaters projecting from the same, which, in use, are adapted to engage and 20 agitate the cotton when the drum is rotated.

In such a construction of cylinder, it is a more particular object of the invent-ion to form each of the disc members supporting the longitudinal members of two pressed-metal parts, in such 25 manner as to provide a sufficient extent of bearing on the shaft to hold the discs in proper alinement with the shaft, and especially to facilitate spot-welding of the discs to the shaft.

The invention and the advantages thereof, will be described more in detail in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating a cylinder constructed according to my invention;

35 Figure 2 is an end view of the same; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through a disc mounted on a shaft, illustrating a modified construction.

Referring now to the drawing, each of the numerals 4 indicates one of my improved discs, each of which has a circular peripheral flange, 5, drawn, or pressed out, from its body. At preferably four points around its periphery, each of the flanges 5 is provided with extruded aperture,

45 6, which aperture is screw threaded for the purpose of receiving cap screws, 1. The numerals, 8, indicate, respectively, the longitudinal members forming the outer drum of the cylinder, each of these members being provided along each 5 of its longitudinal sides with an outwardly-extending, radial flange, 9. The longitudinal members 8 having the curvature of the discs 4 constitute, in eifect, arcs of a circle and are provided with openings which, when the longitu- 55 dinal members are placed in position on the discs,

coincide with the extruded apertures 6, and are detachably secured on said discs by inserting the cap-screws I in said openings and screwing them home into the aperture 6. When thus secured in place on the disc the corresponding flanges 9 5 of each longitudinal member abut each other, as shown by Figure 2, and form radial blades, ii), which, as stated, are for the purpose of engaging or agitating the cotton, when the cylinder is used, as intended, in a cotton cleaning ma- 10 chine.

If desired, in addition to the blades it, rows of spikes may be secured in or on the longitudinal members to supplement the agitating action of the blades i0, and as the use of such spikes i is well-known in cylinders of this character, they are not illustrated.

It may be also stated that, in practice, a cylinder such as described is adapted to be mounted for rotation in proximity to a suitable screen, the blades I0 engaging and agitating the cotton while forcing it over the screen to clean it, as is well-known.

The dominant feature of the invention consists in forming the disc members in two parts, so as to provide a sufiicient extent or length of bearing on the shaft, not only for the purpose of holding the disc in proper alinement with the shaft, but particularly for facilitating spot-welding the disc to the shaft.

It should be pointed out in this connection that while it is not difficult to draw from the periphery of each disc the flange 5 wide enough to permit forming therein the extruded opening 6 to receive the cap screw, it is impossible to draw from the marginal portion of the hole in the center of the disc a flange that will either provide enough bearing surface to hold the disc in alinement with the shaft, or be of sufiicient width to permit spot-welding such a flange to the shaft, and at the same time maintain the hole of a size that will fit, or snugly embrace, the shaft.

The amount, or extent, of flange that can be drawn from the central hole in the disc to fit the shaft, in proportion to the extent or width of flange 5 drawn at the periphery of each disc, is shown in the modified construction, Figure 3, where the central flange is indicated by the nu meral II. This flange is not wide enough to permit spot-welding thereof to the shaft, nor provide a sufficient width of bearing surface to maintain the disc in rigid right-angular relation to the shaft.

To overcome these objections, that is to say,

to permit the pressed-metal construction to be employed, and to permit the spot-welding of the disc to the shaft without materially adding to the weight of the cylinder, or to the cost of construction, I provide a suflicient width or extent of bearing surface for each disc, according to the preferred construction, by securing in the central aperture thereof a flanged, pressed-metal hub, I2,. which fits snugly within the central aperture, as shown by Figure 1, and the flange, I3, whereof is spot-welded to the disc at three points, indicated by, I4, and as clearly shown in Figure 2. The hub I2 fits snugly on the shaft, I5, and is spot-welded thereto at a plurality of points, as indicated by dotted-line at, I6.

It will thus be seen that the pressed-metal hub is made a unitary part of each disc, and that the hub portion I2 not only provides a suflicient extent of surface to permit the hub to be spotvvelded to the shaft, but also said hub portion provides a relatively wide bearing surface, which operates to maintain the disc in the proper rigid relation to the shaft.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 3, I employ a cone-shaped disc, I'I, having its apex truncated and drawn outwardly to form a flange bearing, I8, at the center, and which is provided at its larger end with a circular flange, I9, the flange E8 being spot-welded to the shaft, as indicated by dotted lines, Zii, and the flange I 9 being spot-welded to the disc 5, as indicated by dotted line, 2 I.

While the modified construction provides sufficient width of bearing surface on the shaft to give necessary stability to the disc, and also make it possible to spot-Weld the assembiy to the shaft, as indicated at 28, I have found it less expensive and just as satisfactory to employ the pressedmetal hub construction illustrated in Figure 1.

In order that the advantages incident to my construction of cylinder may be better understood, a brief reference to prior conventional constructions will be given.

One form of closed cylinder for cotton cleaning machinery is characterized by having castiron heads, and wooden staves extending from one head to the other, with the wood turned off to form a drum, and pins, or spikes, screwed into the wood. This form of construction is not only very expensive, but the wood shrinks and swells more or less, depending upon climatic conditions in different localities, and besides is often damaged or split in operation, by the spikes striking against hard substances in the cotton.

Another form is characterized by solid, castiron, longitudinal members extending from one cylinder head to the other, the cast plates or stays forming a drum which has cast spikes projecting from the plates. Cylinders of this construction are both too heavy and too expensive for practical purposes.

A third form of cylinder comprises a series of cast-iron discs keyed and set-screwed to the shaft with sheet metal extended around and riveted to the cast-iron discs to form the drum, and rows of spikes riveted into the drum. This is also an expensive, as well as clumsy construction, and the spikes when damaged are not easily replaceable.

Aside from the objections indicated to the different types of cylinders heretofore used, there is another very serious objection which applies to all of them; and that is, cotton cleaning cylinders must be from four, to more than ,five feet in made from drawn steel of uniform thickness and with uniform distribution of weight throughout both the circumference and the length of the cylinder, so that, compared with cylinders such as heretofore used, these pressed steel cylinders are both statically and dynamically balanced, and are not thrown out of balance by the replacement of any damaged longitudinal member.

The ability to use an all-pressed-steel construction of cylinder is largely due to the novel construction of two-part disc herein described, which enables me to secure the discs to the shaft, by spot-welding, and at the same time affords an extended bearing surface for the disc on the shaft, while maintaining a light-weight construction of cylinder. These cylinders are, notwithstanding, very strong, inexpensive to manufacture, true and smooth-running in operation, and all of the parts subject to damage are replaceable with interchangeable parts.

As to this latter feature, it will be obvious that if any one of the longitudinal members 8 should be damaged, a new longitudinal member can be readily substituted for the damaged member by simply unscrewing the cap screw i, removing such damaged member, and then securing a new longitudinal member in place on the discs.

I claim:

1. In pressed-metal cylinder construction, in combination with a shaft, a disc provided with a central opening, a pressed metal hub having a flange portion welded about the opening on said disc, and a cylindrical portion extending through the opening in said disc and providing a bearing sleeved on said shaft and of an extent to enable the bearing to be spot-welded to the shaft.

2. In pressed-metal cylinder construction, in combination with a shaft, a disc constructed of two pressed-metal parts of different diameters welded together, the larger one of which is provided with a peripheral flange projecting from one side, and the smaller one of which extends a considerable distance beyond the other and provides a cylindrical hub adapted to embrace the shaft and enable the hub to be spot-welded thereto.

3. In pressed-metal cylinder construction, in combination with a shaft, a disc having a peripheral flange projecting from one side thereof, a central pressed-metal hub projecting through an opening in said disc and secured therein by welding and providing a bearing surface sleeved on the shaft and extending beyond the disc a distance sufficient to enable the hub to be spotwelded to the shaft.

4. In pressed-metal cylinder construction, in combination with a shaft, a flanged disc mounted on the shaft, and a conical member secured at its wider end to the face of said disc and having 70 ORVILLE MITCHELL. 

